Lisa Johansson is one of 270 retail distributors who work for Polfärskt in Sweden. Every week, they work together to deliver bread and biscuits carrying six different brand names to 2,500 shops in different parts of Sweden.
“I like driving my Volvo truck. The truck is incredibly important. It’s my workplace and I spend a lot of time in it”, explains Lisa Johansson.
Polfärskt is currently one of Sweden’s largest bread distributors. What is more, sales are steadily increasing. Last year, the company had a turnover of SEK 1,511 million. The bread is frozen immediately after baking and the business philosophy is “to give shops throughout Sweden the opportunity to sell fresh bread at all times”.
“We guarantee deliveries to shops within three hours,” says Hans Jacobson, Polfärskt’s managing director.
Polfärskt has been a Volvo Group customer since 2006 and the majority of its current fleet of 280 trucks come from Volvo Trucks.
“In the Volvo Group, we have found a total deal with which we are extremely pleased. We aren’t only looking for a good product, the soft values are also really important. Everything associated with the trucks has to function, not just the actual vehicles.”
Right now, the companies are involved in an extremely close partnership. A couple of times a year, the logistics team at Polfärskt meets representatives from Volvo Trucks, Volvo Fleet Sales and VFS for a joint analysis of the need for new trucks, as well as financing and service agreements.
Marcus Olsson, Key Account Manager Fleet Sales, is very satisfied with the relationship with Polfärskt. He works in close cooperation with the logistics group.
“We offer a gold contract which means that they have no unexpected costs for service or possible repairs during the time they lease the truck. Since Polfärskt consists of 25 independent companies I spend a lot of time to visit the different companies and create a relationship with each one of them, “he says.
Another decisive factor when it comes to Polfärskt’s choice of Volvo trucks is its environmental targets and focus on issues related to sustainability.
“With our environmental targets, it’s important for us to have a partner who is able and willing to remain at the cutting edge. By choosing leasing, we can always take advantage of the very latest technology. That’s also important from a sustainability angle,” explains Hans Jacobson.
Polfärskt is currently collaborating with the Volvo Group on a project which involves testing renewable fuels that can be used in diesel engines, in a number of trucks. However, Hans Jacobson’s ambitions do not stop here.
“We are aiming to remove all carbon dioxide. The moment electric trucks that match our needs are available, we plan to be first in line to test them.”
Per-Olof Olsson, Sales Manager at VFS Nordic, describes the customer relationship with Polfärskt as an extremely close partnership.
“They encourage us to participate closely in the entire process, our communication is direct and the decision-making is swift. We know what Polfärskt needs and wants and we can therefore adapt our offers, so that we are involved in and influence what they buy,” he says.